Population Increase Making Water Levels Drop

July 10, 2018 at 12:50 AM CDT - Updated July 10 at 12:50 AM

By Justin Kree

NewsWest 9

MIDLAND - People are moving in and the water levels are going down. So the question is should Midland be worried about the possibility of water shortage? Should Midlanders be afraid with the lake levels being so low and the population on the rise?

NewsWest 9 spoke with officials at the city of Midland to get the answer.

"A possibility of having 200,000 people in Midland by 2028. So we are considering ways to update our infrastructure and find more water sources to provide for that many people," City of Midland Public Information Officer, Sara Higgins, said.

Higgins says that many steps have been taken to help out with the water.

"We feel very positive about our short term water sources. We have the T-BAR Ranch pipeline that was completed in 2012. And we are adding the Clear Water Ranch," Higgins said.

There's also another factor when it comes to the lakes.

"Evaporation is just one of the big issues they face with surface water," Higgins said.

We all know that water is a precious resource in West Texas, but now that the summer months are coming, should we be worried?

"The City Council voted on new water rates that came into effect the first of this year. So there are some people that are just now seeing the effects of that on their water bill. So that is another measure to keep people conserving. Also, it is getting more expensive to deliver water, so that is a step that the City Council had to take to cover those costs and break even," Higgins said.

Learning to conserve water is the main goal to helping out with water usage.

"Two days usage is enough. You just need to spend more time watering. People can water from 6 p.m. to midnight. Get a good sprinkler system or get a drip irrigation system so that water can actually penetrate deep," Higgins said. "Conservation is always going to be part of the conversation in West Texas. That's a lesson that we've learned."

Something that we all need to do to save this precious resource in West Texas. The website www.westtexasgardning.org has a list of trees and plants that use a lot less water and still make your yard beautiful.